Out Loud: Holiday paper …

I wrote a bit about the hectic time we are experiencing, and I’m guessing that this summer isn’t shaping up to be a good one for my container garden on our deck because the breaks aren’t coming.

That may not be such a bad thing if a bear is roaming around seeking out yummy herbs and veggies anyway.

Last week on Tuesday, after we put the largest paper to bed we’ve had since Jack and I bought the biz in 2013, I felt like I was in that fifth week, the last week of healing, after my heart attack in 2015. The exhaustion came on like a pile of bricks and  I didn’t even feel like knitting as I sat on the sofa surfing the TV. I cannot tell you what I watched that night. It’s a blur.

Two people came through for me last week and I just love them to pieces. Kris Kirschbaum covered three meetings: Idyllwild Fire, Idyllwild Water and Idyllwild Snow Group. She saved me and Jack by doing that.

When people say they want to write for the paper, usually they think they’re just interviewing people and writing, or writing op-eds. They don’t realize the  numerous entities on the Hill that only this newspaper covers so Kris was a lifesaver.

When I led the public news meeting last Wednesday, I expressed my exhaustion and the fact that two reporters were out. Lista Duren, a writer, volunteered to take on a story. I asked her to find out about the bear. I could cry because she did just that and wrote an awesome story about “our” bear. She took it further than just finding out about the bear — she offered safety tips and warnings for those of us naive about living in a forest with bears — or, maybe, in our case, a bear.

Kris said she learned a lot covering those meetings. I always find that I do, too, when I get a chance to attend. And I did get a chance to cover one last week — the Idyllwild Historic Preservation District Local Review Board. Boy, that’s a mouthful for such a small group with very little attendance. The meeting was to start at 11:30 a.m. but actually started at its usual time at noon. The intervening half-hour I spent getting to know the county rep, Yun Baird, who also didn’t get the notice of a time change. But the break was welcome during a crazy time and we found much in common in our lives.

The paper after a holiday one typically is very small as advertising drops. The creates a challenge because a holiday requires lots of coverage, thus, lots of ink. Also, we had a fair share of crime and rescues. Oh, and in the midst of all that, a vegetation fire started in Bee Canyon Tuesday. But our firefighters took care of it quickly. Just so you know, it amounted to only a couple of acres.

And so, this week was no easier. (See the Editor’s Log above we just completed to put out this issue.) Some things got held, such as award photos at the school, because of space. Hopefully, I can get those in next week.

Becky Clark, Editor